Portable shower-yoke.



No. 638,348. Patented Dec. 5,1899. E. MELCHERS.

PORTABLE SHOWER YOKE.

(Appllcatwn filed Jan 26 1899 2 Sheets Sheet I (No Model.)

. [Mi l /171T W mLlziuo fi/wl 1 7w I W/Wfjjfi UM a- Patented Dec. 5, I899. E. MELCHERS.

PORTABLE SHOWER YDKE.

(Application filed Jan 26, 18994;

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 (No Model.)

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6M4 v 76M%% NlTE STATES PATENT rricn.

EDWARD MELOHERS, or TOLEDO, omo.

PORTABLE SHOWER-YOKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 638,348, dated December 5, 1899-.

Application filed January 26, 1899. Serial No. 703,417. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern-.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD MELCHERS, of Toledo, county of Lucas, and State of Ohio,

have invented certain new and useful Im-.

\ marked thereon, which form part of this specification.

My invention relates toa portable showeryoke, an appliance to be used in taking a shower-bath, and has for its object to provide a shower-bath apparatus which can be used by women as well as men. In the old overhead shower-bath apparatus,as is well known, the water is spread over the body in the form of a multitude of jets, so that the head as Well as all other portions of the body are thoroughly wetted. Because of this disagreeable feature of wetting the head this form of bathing as been practically prohibited to women. I am aware at the present time of rubber bags perforated on the lower side thereof and of perforated rings made to encircle the neck; but because of the tendency of bags to hold a large volume of water and of rings to become easily displaced and not showering shoulders or arms of theindividual these have been found objectionable in practicing showerbathing. To overcome these objections and to provide other valuable features, I have devised my present invention. My invention therefore consists in a perforated tubular section or sections approximately the form of the body about the shoulders and certain novel features of construction whereby the same can be removed from the body without passing over the head, and also a means for diverting the path of the water to exclude the same from the tubular sections when in the act of removing the same from the shoulders.

In carrying out my invention I employ the parts andcombination of-parts hereinafter shown, described, and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a view showing the application of my invention. side elevation of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the same, showing in dotted lines the position of the tubular sections while the yoke is being removed from the body. Fig. is an enlarged plan View of the hinged connection between the tubular sections. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the lower member of the hinged connection shown in Fig. 5, showing in dotted lines the passages therein. Fig. 7 is a top plan View of the upper member. Fig. 8 is a transverse section of the hinged connection on line y 9', Fig. 4. Fig. 9 is a section of the lower member of the hinged connection on line m 00, Fig. 5. Fig. 10 is a bottom plan view of the upper member of the hinged connection.

1 and 2 are tubular sections separated the one from the other at 3 and having plugs 4 and 5 in the ends thereof. Sections 1 and 2 have a hinged joint at 6 and are held normally together by a spring 7. When the sections are separated, they assume a position shown in dotted lines, Fig. 3. When together the sections conform approximately to the shape of the body about the shoulders and are provided on'the inside lower quarter-section thereof at equal distances with orifices 8. The jets from the various orificesmeet at a common center line, and are therefore defiected so as to pass downward on meeting and confine the water to a small area. Hinged joint 6 is composed of an upper member 9 and a lower member 10, having ground faces 11 and 12, respectively. Member 10 is formed on the lower side thereof with an elongated tubular portion 13, having a central passage 14.

15, 16, and 17 are openings in the face 12 of lower member 10 and lead by internal passages 18 and 19 to the central passage 14.

20 is an opening in face 12 leading by means of a passage 21 to the interior of tubular section 1.

22 is an opening extending directly through lower member 10.

Member 9 is formed with a cut-out portion 23, which normally seats over the openings and and forms a valvefor the passage of water. In like manner there is a cut-out portion 24, which seats over the openings 17 and 22 when the sections are separated, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 3, but which normally occupies a position over opening 17, opening 22 being closed.

25 is an opening in the face 11 leading to the interior of the tubular section 2 and which normally occupies a position coincident with opening 16 in member 10.

26 is a centrally-projecting stud on lower member 10, which passes through the opening 27 in upper member 9 to form a hinge. Stud 26 has a central internal screw-thread to receive a screw 28,havin g spring 29 interposed between the head thereof and the upper member 9. This construction insures contact between the faces 11 and 12 of members 9 and 10, respectively. A

In operation the yoke is connected up to any convenient water-supply by means of a flexible tubing, the one end thereof being attached to a faucet and the other to the tubular portion 13 of the yoke. The yoke is then spread, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 3, and placed upon the shoulders, the water having been turned on at any desired temperature. The sections 1 and 2 will always assume the position shown in full lines, Fig. 3, in consequence of the spring 7. While in this position the Water will pass through the flexible tubing, the central passage 14 of the tubular portion 13 of hinge member 10, and the passages l9 and 18 in lower hinge member. Here the water is divided, one portion passing up through the coincident openings 16 and 25 and into the interior of tubular section 2, the other portion passing through the opening 15, the cut-out portion 23, the passage 21, and into the tubular section 1. The water having entered the tubular sections 1 and 2, respectively, passes out in the form of jets through orifices 8 and onto the chest, shoulders, arms, and all parts of the body.

It is evident that if a valt e were employed to shut off the Water at or near the yoke with the ordinary pressures at present found in water-mains of large cities the pressure in the tube would burst the same, and as it is desirable to use an ordinary rubber tubing in preference to astr'engthened tubing I have devised the construction shown. When the tubular sections are separated to remove the same from the shoulders, the openings 20 and 16 will be closed for the passage of water, thereby excluding water from the sections 1 and 2 simultaneously with this closure, and the cut-out portion 24 will pass over the openings 17 and 22. The water will then take a course through passage 19, opening 17, cut-out portion 24, and opening 22 and pass to the exsame from sections 1 and 2. By constructing the valve so that the water can be diverted to the exterior of the sections by simply spread= ing the sections apart the water is permitted to flow continuously, thereby preventing any liability of bursting the'flexible tubing, which would result if the water therein were suddenly checked or turned ed at the yoke. I consider this construction a. valuable feature of my invention.

It will be seen from this description that I have provided a shower-bath appliance which is of great practical value and which is far in advance of the shower-bath devices at present known in the art.

It is evident that I may construct my sections of wood, metal, hard rubber, or soft rubher with a steel-wire frame, the essential feature being that it is to conform to the shape of the body about the shoulders.

What I claim is 1. In a portable shower-yoke, the perforated tubular sections, bent to conform to the shape of the body about the shoulders, a hinge connection for the tubular sections comprising an upper disk member 9 and a lower disk member 10; said lower member having the tubular extension 13, for the attachment of a hose, the projecting stud 26, the screw 28, screwed into the stud, the spring 29 interposed between the head of said screw and the upper member, the central passage 14,

the connecting-passages 18, 19, and 21, hav- 5 ing the face-openings 15, 16, 17, and 20, the opening 22 passing entirely through the lower member; said upper disk member having the central perforation 27, to receive the stud 26,

'9 and the lower member 10, the passages 18,

19 and 21, and the opening 22 in the lower member, the passage 25 and the cut-out portions 23 and 24 in the upper member, the elongated tubular portion 13 and the spring 7 to hold the sections normally together substantially as shown and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD MELCHERS.

Witnesses:

CARL I-I. KELLER, ALFRED A. HOYT. 

